Former President Donald Trump remains the overwhelming favorite to secure the GOP nomination for president in 2024, but while voters are skeptical of his likely opponent, President Joe Biden’s age Trump has managed to avoid facing the same scrutiny about his age, until now.
How old is Donald Trump?
Donald Trump turned 77-years-old on June 14. In 2016, he became the oldest person to be elected to the presidency, until Biden in 2020. He was 70-years-old at the time.
Trump is currently leading the GOP primary field by double digits and barring some sort of cataclysm, he will likely be the Republican Party nominee for president in 2024. Therefore, if he wins the presidency he would be the oldest person ever to be elected to the White House, at 78.
Trump is just three years younger that Biden, but to hear him tell it, those three years might as well be thirty. He relentless mocks Biden’s age on his social media account over on Truth Social and at his campaign rallies. He portrays the incumbent president as so feeble and senile he forgets where he is.
But, Trump’s own string of gaffes and stumbles on the campaign trail are undermining his strategy of painting Biden as doddering.
Trump’s gaffes
At a campaign rally in Sioux City, Iowa on Sunday, it was Trump who appears to forget where he was. He wrongly greeted his supporters in Sioux Falls, a town in South Dakota, before he was corrected by an aide. The moment was captured on hot mic.
Ironically, Trump acted out a scene at one of his rallies last month where he pretended to be Biden forgetting where he was and had to be corrected by an aide.
Trump has also confused Biden with President Barack Obama, twice, then claimed he defeated Obama. He also said Biden will lead us into World War II and has claimed to never be indicted despite being indicted four times.
Trump, 77, also praised the Iran-backed terrorist group, Hezbollah, as “very smart” and has repeatedly mispronounced the name of the militant group, Hamas as “hummus“.
Donald Trump age is showing and opponents are starting to take notice.
All this have started to raise questions about Donald Trump’s age and if he is fit to serve another term. And his opponents in the GOP primary are starting to take notice.
“This is a different Donald Trump than 2015 and 2016. He lost the zip on his fastball,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) told reporters last week. “In 2016, he was freewheeling, he’s out there barnstorming the country. Now, it’s just a different guy. And it’s sad to see.”
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) says he does not think Trump is “senile.”
“What I do think is that the pressure that he is under at his age is starting to get to him,” Christie added. “And those of us who have known him for a long time know it. And I think that’s what affecting him more than anything.”
Donald Trump age vs. Biden’s
If these incidents continue, the questions about Trump’s age will only get louder and it would be damaging in a rematch against Biden. Even though voters describe Biden as “old”, more Americans would support him over Trump if age is the deciding factor.
According to an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, 43 percent of voters believe both Trump and Biden are “too old” to serve another term. Among those voters, 61 percent say they would support Biden while 13 percent say they would back Trump.
While Biden has leaned into his age and sometimes even joking about it, Trump has done the opposite, he shied away from issues surrounding his age which is not entirely his fault. Before the past couple of months, Trump never had to face questions regarding his age.
But, if he continues along this path he may not have a choice. And the odds are stacked against him. He will have a very difficult time trying to convince voters to trust him, despite his age, after spending the better part of the last three years since he left office attacking and criticizing the mental abilities of aging politicians.
